Resolute, compassionate and committed

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​How we conduct ourselves in our service and the values that underpin our behaviour are a key part of our thought processes and relationships. Empathy means listening to the public, colleagues and partners, responding directly and quickly, and having a genuine interest in ourselves and others. We are always focused on doing our best for the public and our customers.

By understanding our thoughts and the values behind our behaviour, we can maintain a professional and resolute stance, demonstrate accountability and stand by the police service’s established values to maintain the service’s professional legitimacy.

Competency : We are emotionally aware

We make the effort to understand ourselves, our colleagues and all those we serve. We genuinely engage with and listen to others, making efforts to understand needs, perspectives and concerns. We use these insights to inform our actions and decisions.

We are able to control our emotions in stressful situations, understanding our own motivations and the underlying reasons for our behaviour. This is all underpinned by our ability to anticipate and understand how other people may feel. We look after our own wellbeing and that of others.

Adopting emotionally intelligent behaviours also means valuing diversity and difference in approaches to work, in thinking, and in people's backgrounds.

We are culturally sensitive and seek to understand different perspectives, acting with sensitivity, compassion and warmth. We always try to understand the thoughts, feelings and concerns of those we meet.

Why is it important? The way in which we conduct ourselves is just as important as what we do. Communicating and acting politely, respectfully and with compassion helps to drive and maintain public trust.

Empathy is particularly important, especially if we are to engage and involve some of the most vulnerable individuals we encounter who may not be able to fully express or articulate their thoughts or feelings.

Understanding ourselves means that we are able to improve our own resilience and therefore cope effectively during challenging and emotionally charged situations.

We are emotionally aware

Level 1

I treat others with respect, tolerance and compassion.

I acknowledge and respect a range of different perspectives, values and beliefs within the remit of the law.

I remain calm and think about how to best manage the situation when faced with provocation.

I understand my own emotions and I know which situations might affect my ability to deal with stress and pressure.

I ask for help and support when I need it.

I understand the value that diversity offers.

I communicate in clear and simple language so that I can be easily understood by others.

I seek to understand the thoughts and concerns of others even when they are unable to express themselves clearly.

Level 2

I consider the perspectives of people from a wide range of backgrounds before taking action.

I adapt my style and approach according to the needs of the people I am working with, using my own behaviour to achieve the best outcome.

I promote a culture that values diversity and encourages challenge.

I encourage reflective practice among others and take the time to support others to understand reactions and behaviours.

I take responsibility for helping to ensure the emotional wellbeing of those in my teams.

I take the responsibility to deal with any inappropriate behaviours.

Level 3

I seek to understand the longer-term reasons for organisational behaviour. This enables me to adapt and change organisational cultures when appropriate.

I actively ensure a supportive organisational culture that recognises and values diversity and wellbeing and challenges intolerance.

I understand internal and external politics and I am able to wield influence effectively, tailoring my actions to achieve the impact needed.

I am able to see things from a variety of perspectives and I use this knowledge to challenge my own thinking, values and assumptions.

I ensure that all perspectives inform decision making and communicate the reasons behind decisions in a way that is clear and compelling

Competency : We take ownership

​We take personal responsibility for our roles and accountabilities but we do not let this hold us back from being effective or taking appropriate risks.

We make decisions at appropriate levels and in appropriate areas, having a clear rationale (for example, use of decision-making models) and accepting responsibility for our decisions. We seek feedback, learn from our mistakes and reflect to improve and amend our future practice.

Demonstrating pride in our work is important to us. Our selflessness means that we also seek to help solve issues or problems, which may be internal or external to our own teams. We recognise where limitations in our own knowledge and experience may have an impact on our decision making. We take responsibility for ensuring that support or development is sought to minimise any risks.

Why is it important? Not all decisions need senior leader approval, meaning that, where necessary, we can respond more swiftly to challenges while still ensuring we provide a full rationale for our response. Because we all face different kinds of challenges that are not always within our comfort zone, every one of us needs to feel confident and able to take responsibility.

These behaviours mean that we are empowered, effective and able to learn from our mistakes. Doing so allows us to own and see successes through our delivery of results, and not just whether a particular process has been followed.

We take ownership

Level 1

I actively identify and respond to problems.

I approach tasks with enthusiasm, focusing on public service excellence.

I regularly seek feedback to understand the quality of my work and the impact of my behaviour.

I recognise where I can help others and willingly take on additional tasks to support them, where appropriate.

I give feedback to others that I make sure is understandable and constructive.

I take responsibility for my own actions, I fulfil my promises and do what I say I will.

I will admit if I have made a mistake and take action to rectify this.

I demonstrate pride in representing the police service.

I understand my own strengths and areas for development and take responsibility for my own learning to address gaps.

Level 2

I proactively create a culture of ownership within my areas of work and support others to display personal responsibility.

I take responsibility for making improvements to policies, processes and procedures, actively encouraging others to contribute their ideas.

I am accountable for the decisions my team make and the activities within our teams.

I take personal responsibility for seeing events through to a satisfactory conclusion and for correcting any problems both promptly and openly.

I actively encourage and support learning within my teams and colleagues.

Level 3

I act as a role model, and enable the organisation to use instances when things go wrong as an opportunity to learn rather than blame.

I foster a culture of personal responsibility, encouraging and supporting others to make their own decisions and take ownership of their activities.

I define and enforce the standards and processes that will help this to happen.

I put in place measures that will allow others to take responsibility effectively when I delegate decision making, and at the same time I help them to improve their performance.

I create the circumstances (culture and process) that will enable people to undertake development opportunities and improve their performance.

I take an organisation-wide view, acknowledging where improvements can be made and taking responsibility for making these happen.

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